Minimal flooding at Sigma sites but deliveries disrupted

17-Jan-2011 - Sigma has experienced minimal damage from Australian floods but road closures have impacted on deliveries to customers.

Aurobindo to sell Chinese ingredient unit to Sinopharm

11-Jan-2011 - Aurobindo Pharma is to sell its Chinese unit to Sinopharm as part of a strategic shift from low-margin ingredients to more profitable formulations.

Dendreon building Germany plant to support EU entry

11-Jan-2011 - Dendreon is to build a Provenge production facility in Germany, due to be operational in 2013, and in the meantime is to outsource to a CMO.

Indian cultural diversity affects attitudes to pharma packaging

10-Jan-2011 - Cultural diversity within India underpins differing attitudes to oral dose pharmaceutical packaging and this could impact on prescribing habits.

News in brief

Leak at Wanbei Pharma plant injures 62

10-Jan-2011 - Sixty-two workers at Wanbei Pharmaceutical’s manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China have been sickened after a chemical leak.

Legislation & resources needed as Croatia prepares to join EU

10-Jan-2011 - Legislation and resources are needed to support Croatian pharmaceutical regulators in preparation for accession to the European Union (EU).

Mocon supplies Tibetan pack testing lab

06-Jan-2011 - Instrument supplier Mocon has taken its business to new heights, literally, by installing two testing units at a Government pharmaceutical laboratory in Lhasa, Tibet.

Non-EU APIs a concern says EMA in 2015 Roadmap

05-Jan-2011 - The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has highlighted the quality APIs manufactured outside the EU as an area of concern in the draft 2015 road map it unveiled this week.

Pharma important to recovery of blister packaging sector, report

05-Jan-2011 - Demand for compliant, patient safe packs will help drive the global blister packaging market to a total value of $32.5bn by 2015, according to new research.

GSK hits back at 60 minutes doc on "broken" Cidra plant

04-Jan-2011 - GSK says there is no evidence that patients were harmed as a result of production issues at its manufacturing plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico.

Merck KGaA sets up Indian tech centre

04-Jan-2011 - Merck KGaA has opened a new centre in India to showcase its range of technology solutions to the country’s rapidly expanding pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Latest M&As in the pharmaceutical space

04-Jan-2011 - in-Pharmatechnologist presents a roundup of the latest deals and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical sector with news from Optima, SPI and DPS Engineering.

News in brief

Dr Reddy’s aims at Russian growth with R-Pharma accord

04-Jan-2011 - Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has formed a manufacturing partnership with R-Pharm in a bid to strengthen its position in Russia’s fast-growing drug market.

US FDA joins PIC/S after 5 year review

03-Jan-2011 - The US FDA has finally become a member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Co-Operation Inspection Scheme (PIC/S) after a five-year application process.

News in brief

Blast kills five at drug plant in China

03-Jan-2011 - An explosion at a plant owned by Chinese drugmaker Quanxin Pharmaceutical Company has killed five employees and injured eight more according to a number of reports.

Partners & PR needed to enter German vaccine market

23-Dec-2010 - PR-based strategies emphasising the cost of the disease and local partners are needed to enter the lucrative German vaccine market, according to researchers.

Top regulation & enforcement articles of 2010

23-Dec-2010 - Regulations and enforcement were big topics yet again in 2010. in-PharmaTechnologist presents five of our most read on the topics, covering starting material quality and overseas inspections.

'Chindia' could become global generic powerhouse

22-Dec-2010 - China’s PM Wen Jiabao has vowed to improve market access for Indian pharmaceutical companies to better supply global generic drug needs.

Aesica buys UCB plants and signs long-term supply deal

20-Dec-2010 - Aesica has bought three manufacturing sites from UCB, making its first foray into continental Europe and more than doubling its production capacity.

Drug sector must modernise to cut dependence on foreign firms, says Russian PM

14-Dec-2010 - Russia is “becoming dependant” on foreign drugmakers according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has called for home-grown manufacturers to make more of the country’s medicines.

News in brief

Reckitt Benckiser buys Paras

14-Dec-2010 - Reckitt Benckiser said it will pay INR32.6bn for Indian drugmaker Paras Pharmaceuticals to build its position in the consumer healthcare sector.

EU & India resolve generic drug seizures dispute; reports

13-Dec-2010 - The EU and India have resolved a dispute about the seizure of generic medicines passing through Europe on route to Africa and Latin America, according to reports.

Sopharma to invest BGN70m in new plant

09-Dec-2010 - Bulgarian drugmaker Sopharma will invest BGN70m ($47m) in the construction of a new manufacturing plant in a further bid to drive export growth.

PSM forms affiliate to tackle counterfeits in India

09-Dec-2010 - The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) has established a presence in India to bring together local stakeholders and protect consumers from counterfeit medicines.

West to close US plant and downsize UK site

08-Dec-2010 - West Pharmaceutical Services will close a plant in Pennsylvania, US and sell part of a factory Cornwall in the UK to reorganise production operations ahead of impending contract expiries.